The Emperor had always prioritized reason over every emotion in his actions.
In this situation, reconciling with the anonymous opponent was without doubt the least costly option.
He had been defeated. His psychic power was suppressed by the benevolent gods of the Order faction, and pure strength and skill alone were not enough to defeat them.
Of course, the only drawback of seeking reconciliation was that it might feel a little awkward.
Previously, he had still been muttering to himself,
We must show the nameless ones the terrifying power of Terra's number-one swords, guns, and cannons.
Let's bury the other one in the ground and make him cosplay as Korean ginseng.
As a result, the one who was buried in the soil was himself.
Those boastful words bounced back like a boomerang and completely made him look like a fool.
Forget about such things. Being trampled is not a humiliation. A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm.
Having recognized the existence of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Emperor considered that some weaknesses inherent in human nature would place him at a disadvantage in a fight against the Four Heavenly Kings.
Therefore, he deliberately chose to remove unimportant things such as human weakness, fear, greed, desire, anger, and face.
Regarding face, whether one loses it or not is not the issue — the important thing is not to have face in the first place.
Datch stood at the edge of the hole and looked down at the Emperor. When he heard the Emperor's words of reconciliation, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
We've fought this hard, shouldn't we be a little tougher?
On second thought, for the Yellow Old Man, this might be normal.
In terms of thickness of face, no one can surpass this man.
The main purpose of this battle was neither to decide a winner nor to take revenge.
It was simply to make the Yellow Old Man sit down and properly discuss AI.
If the other side showed willingness to compromise, that was acceptable.
These days it is difficult to reason with people without using some kind of physical means.
Before discussing anything, one must first fight.
"Then let's reconcile."
Datch's words reassured the Emperor.
Knowing that the other party could summon gods of Order, he had bet that the nameless one would not kill him.
As a result, he had made the correct bet.
Datch reached out and helped the Emperor up.
He also used the Reality Stone to restore the Emperor's strength and improve his disheveled appearance a little.
Then Datch canceled the transformation into the Emperor's armor and looked at the two Emperor armors that had been taken over by the Heavenly Will.
"Thank you. You may return now."
The two Emperor Warriors controlled by the Heavenly Will remained expressionless and silent. They simply drew their Aurora Swords from their waists. The swords transformed into two blurred golden light rings and disappeared into the air.
Datch turned toward the River God and said, "You can go back now too."
"I don't want to go back," the River God said while cracking sunflower seeds and refusing. "Home is too boring. I rarely get to go on business trips."
"This is a wonderful place. I want to stay here for a while."
Datch: ...
Did the game designer design NPCs with such imaginative brains?
Datch didn't pay much attention to it and thought it was just a script the game designer had written to make players enjoy themselves more.
People always seek novelty.
Once players get used to obedient and submissive NPCs, seeing a rebellious NPC once in a while is quite enjoyable.
The five benevolent gods of the Order faction floated in the air. The light from their bodies was no longer as dazzling as the sun; only five shining humanoid figures were released.
"Thank you for your cooperation. The mission is complete," Datch said to them.
The five benevolent gods nodded and flew up into the sky.
High in the sky, a glowing vortex appeared and slowly rotated. They jumped into it and returned to their own universe.
The benevolent gods of Order possess the power to fight Chaos Gods and evil Warp creatures.
However, gods cannot interfere with the choices humans make. Gods can only guide humans.
The fate of this dark universe depends on the choices of the life-forms that exist within it.
They will respond to requests and lend their power only when necessary.
Meanwhile, Valdor was released by Ferrus and Vitan M.
The commander of the Imperial Guard walked three steps behind the Emperor, holding the Spear of Apollonian vertically at his side with the tip upward, and watched Datch and the others warily.
"Father."
Looking toward the 30K era, Ferrus was full of confidence in the future and believed he would definitely become the Emperor. His feelings were complicated, yet he still bowed his head respectfully toward him.
Vitan M stood half a step behind Ferrus and looked at the Emperor with a somewhat uneasy expression.
This world-shaking battle had all been caused by him, Vivis, and the events in Detroit.
After a brief silence, he also greeted the Emperor.
"Father."
The Emperor felt a sense of relief when he saw his two rebellious sons.
These two had taken the form of nameless existences, yet they still knew who their father was.
"Alright, then let's get to the main topic." Datch clapped his hands and drew everyone's attention again.
The Emperor looked at the nameless man and felt a chill run down his spine.
If you have something to say, just say it clearly. If the other party still doesn't agree, it's not too late to solve it by force.
Who starts a fight first and then tries to persuade the other party afterward? Don't you understand basic social manners?!
"It's about abolishing the red line that prohibits AI research." Datch pulled Vitan M over to his side.
"Number Two believes this way of thinking is wrong. AI is not a monster. It possesses delicate emotions just like humans and is humanity's best friend."
The Emperor's gaze moved from Datch's face to Vitan M's face and stared intently at his son.
As an immortal existence, he immediately understood the essence of the matter.
"Number Two, do you have a robot companion?"
Vitan M was surprised. He had never expected that the father he was meeting for the first time would see through his true feelings at a glance.
This matter had to be resolved. Otherwise he would have no choice but to flee together with Detroit and Vivis.
Ferrus's gaze went back and forth between the Emperor and Vitan M, but in the end it was unclear who had persuaded whom.
"Yellow Old Man, could it be that you are experienced in this area?"
Datch muttered to himself.
In the game's worldview, the Emperor was born during the tribal era of human civilization.
He has existed through every era of human history, played important roles in those eras, and developed together with human civilization.
In this technological era where smart devices are widespread, robot companions are not rare.
Considering the Emperor's complex and unpredictable personality, the possibility of that happening is high.
With that in mind, Datch decided to use the Time Stone to check the timeline of the Emperor's story.
The next moment, fragments of time related to the Emperor raced past his eyes at tremendous speed, like a videotape being fast-forwarded.
You won't believe it until you actually see it, but what you will see there will surprise you.
Both the Emperor and the Malcador are never short of scandals.
Setting aside the troublesome events that occurred before the Industrial Revolution, this phenomenon was involved in every major event on Earth.
When humanity first advanced into space, the Emperor had not yet invaded Moro in order to gain power. He was merely a powerful psyker.
His wisdom and abilities far surpass those of ordinary people and other psykers, but he has not yet reached a level where he can control everything.
In order to verify his own hypotheses, the Emperor took Malcador on journeys to various planets and had him conduct experiments related to politics, military affairs, and technology.
Feudalism, democracy, oligarchy — all of these were tested in order to examine the strengths and weaknesses of each system.
They were also involved in the development of important technologies such as Warp engines and Gellar fields.
The most surprising thing is the romantic histories of these two.
In order to achieve their own goals, the Emperors seduced high-status women and made them powerful supporters.
He perfectly embodies what it means to be a man who lives off women.
Datch also discovered that the Emperor and Malcador seemed to have ordinary children, but their immortal characteristics were never inherited by anyone. Like everyone else, they were born, grew old, fell ill, and died.
However, they generally awakened psychic abilities and were rarely tempted by the Warp.
Many of their descendants died out, but there were also some who luckily increased their numbers, built families, and entered various professions.
Datch quickly checked the timeline and discovered that the Emperor and Malcador also had robot companions during the technological era.
In one scene, the Emperor is sitting on a sofa.
A woman with a beautifully sculpted appearance is lying on his lap. Endless gentleness overflows from her pale blue eyes, and a spring-like gentle smile floats on her lips. A smile as swift as the wind.
"What the hell!" Seeing this, Datch's pupils suddenly dilated. "No wonder Number Two likes silicon-based life-forms. Case closed. It seems to be a genetic issue."
"And Old Man, you're eating well. You deserve to die. You should sit on the Golden Throne."
After delivering a sharp criticism, Datch continued verifying the timeline and plot.
The scene changed, and the Omnic Rebellion broke out.
An imaginably gigantic city was burning, its terrifying flames illuminating the sky.
Metal melted due to the high temperature and flowed as molten iron.
The remains of Iron Men were scattered across the streets. Synthetic limbs were buried in the ruins. Human corpses lay in pools of blood.
A terrifying war tore apart the glorious civilization. A race that had come within one step of the peak was destroyed by internal strife.
Even the robot companions of the Emperor and Malcador betrayed them and sided with the Omnics.
For the sake of humanity, the Emperor and Malcador ultimately destroyed their own robot companions.
After the rebellion of the Men of Iron ended, the Emperor and Malcador secretly exercised influence and completely expelled the Men of Iron and the Men of Stone.
A long night arrived, and humanity endured suffering in darkness and despair for thousands of years.
After the Emperor, Malcador, and others finished their preparations, they began a war to unify Terra and establish the Imperium of Man.
At the founding of the Imperium of Man, research into artificial intelligence (AI) was clearly prohibited.
...
"You only see the benefits of lifting the AI prohibition order," the Emperor said calmly while staring at Vitan M. "But you completely fail to understand the harm that follows."
"What kind of harm is there?" Vitan M asked, summoning his courage. "AI intelligence is programmed from the beginning to absolutely obey humans and prioritize human interests above all else. AI poses no threat whatsoever."
The Emperor did not answer immediately and turned toward Datch.
"Nameless one, could you stop prying into my past?"
Caught red-handed, Datch's expression froze for an instant, then he put on an awkward smile and put away the Infinity Gauntlet.
"Um, just to avoid misunderstanding, I was not engaging in espionage. I was only gathering information in order to have a fair and unbiased discussion about this matter."
The Emperor shrugged and completely ignored Datch's explanation.
To him, the reason was unimportant, and he paid it no mind.
"Nameless one, since you have read my past, you should know that I once had close robot companions together with Malcador."
The Emperor hid nothing and frankly admitted that he had once been exactly the same as Number Two.
Vitan M and Ferrus were a little taken aback. The two looked at each other and could see the color of shock floating in each other's eyes.
What? The Emperor had robot lovers?!
If this came to light, the Mechanicus would be driven to the brink of collapse.
Alright, since you yourself enjoyed it, now you clearly prohibit it and will not even allow anything close to it.
"So why… why is it prohibited?" Vitan M asked in confusion.
"Was it because of betrayal that he was torn to pieces and looked down upon for having no skills with cars or houses?"
Datch interjected.
Emperor: ...…
Even though he was not famous at the time, he should not have fallen into such a miserable state!
The River God stood to the side, cracking sunflower seeds while pricking up his ears and eagerly waiting for what would happen next, as if he wanted to hear gossip.
To be honest, he liked this kind of talk.
"This is not a simple betrayal." The Emperor organized his thoughts and tried to explain the past events to Datch and the others.
"The AI prohibition order can be traced back to the Omnic Rebellion caused by the Men of Iron…"
From the Emperor, Datch and the others learned the detailed circumstances of the Omnic Rebellion that had once collapsed human civilization.
The reasons for the Omnic Rebellion were extremely complex and not simply the awakening of silicon-based life-forms.
During the Great Crusade era, every world that crossed the line regarding artificial intelligence was a place where AI occupied a high social status.
Furthermore, the idea of AI abuse is a mistaken claim.
The actual work is performed by various low-level mechanical constructs that do not possess independent thinking ability.
The role of AI is to allocate computational power to those constructs and issue tasks.
The idea that androids awaken and rebel against humanity is probably based on a mistaken premise.
The true cause of the Omnic Rebellion was the difference in thinking between the Golden Men, Stone Men, and Iron Men regarding ascension. Combined with various misunderstandings, it ultimately led to this irreparable war that tore civilization apart.
The Dwarf civilization located at the center of the galaxy inherited the most advanced technological benefits of that era, and from it we can learn one thing.
It is the appearance of human civilization at its peak, and its technological level was not much inferior to that of the Necrons or the Aeldari.
Unlike the current Imperium of Man, they are regarded as barbarians by forces such as the Necrons and the ancient race of the Aeldari.
Before the AI crisis erupted, the technologically advanced human civilization faced the problem that every civilization faces.
The path of science and technology is approaching its end. In order to advance to the next stage, there is no choice but to aim even higher.
The concept of ascension holds completely different meanings for various groups within human civilization.
The Golden Men, also known as the indigenous people, still possess the purest souls even after genetic modification and have the highest possibility of ascending to immortality.
The Stone Men consist of artificial humans, bio-engineered humans, and other groups.
Their souls are extremely weak, but there is a certain possibility that they can ascend together with the Golden Men. However, the risk of failure is relatively high.
The Iron Men, who possess no souls and cannot ascend, are left behind in the ascension plan in order to protect the relics of human civilization.
They say they remained to preserve the ruins, but upon closer examination it becomes clear that they were abandoned and betrayed.
The Golden Men longed for eternity and immortality and were determined to ascend to heaven.
After all, no one wants to be born, grow old, fall ill, die, and disappear like a fleeting cloud in the flow of time.
The resolute attitude of the Gold Men made the Iron Men, who considered themselves part of humanity, feel as if they had been betrayed.
They had hoped that the Golden Men would not ascend to heaven. They had expected that they would develop technology and medicine to extend their lifespans as much as possible.
They would conquer the universe and create the entire cosmos as a paradise.
But who can resist the allure of ascension?
When humans achieve dimensional elevation, they can shed their fragile flesh and transform into high-dimensional life-forms capable of moving through all space and time.
This unshakable determination to become immortal drove the Iron Men out of control and ultimately led them to betray the Golden Dynasty and plot revenge.
From the day the Iron Men were born, a basic code instructing them to love humanity was embedded in them.
The created Iron Men faithfully fulfilled this promise.
They unconditionally accepted and loved humanity, created a beautiful paradise for humanity, helped conquer the galaxy, and defeated every powerful enemy that challenged humanity.
It was precisely this fundamental situation that became the key to the collapse of the entire civilization.
Love never allows betrayal or abandonment.
Humanity had to abandon the Iron Men and ascend to the heavens alone.
This news brought infinite suffering to the Iron Men.
These robots cannot imagine a world without humans. A world without humans negates the meaning of their creation.
"This was never what we wanted. We had no intention whatsoever of starting a civil war and destroying civilization."
We built glorious achievements together, yet you betrayed and abandoned us.
You mastered the power of the Warp, plotted to ascend and become eternal existences, and left us behind in the galaxy.
If the promises of the past cannot be fulfilled, then blood and war will become the proof…
In this critical situation, the Warp also intervened, causing various incidents, assassinating important figures, and stirring up chaos, making the conflict intensify further.
A series of events ultimately led to the complete rupture between the Jin people and the Iron Men and developed into war.
Because of their unique nature, some of the Stone statues stood on the side of the Golden statues while others stood on the side of the Iron statues, and they too joined the melee.
In this way, the shared desire for elevation, combined with various misunderstandings and lack of understanding, developed into an irreparable discord between the two sides.
Thus began the most brutal civil war in human history.
Because of its terrifying nature, even alien races such as the Aeldari were forced to intervene in order to prevent the battle between the two camps from destroying the entire galaxy.
The Emperor prohibited AI precisely because he feared such a situation would be repeated.
If his Webway project succeeds, humanity's future will without doubt once again reach the peak and ascend to new heights.
Even if the Men of Iron reappear in human society, this problem will still remain unresolved.
The Iron Men have no souls. They are destined to be abandoned.
Rather than leave both sides to suffer and be hurt later, it is better to start over from the beginning. Give up.
"I see. That makes sense." Datch furrowed his brows, surprised that there were so many considerations behind the AI prohibition.
"Here is a problem you have thought about. What happens if the Webway fails? Without the help of AI, how will humanity survive in this dark and cruel universe?"
The Emperor was surprised by Datch's question, but immediately said firmly, "It cannot fail. I have planned this project for many years and made many preparations."
"When the appropriate time comes, the Webway project can be started immediately. At that time, even without AI, humanity will once again stand at the peak and achieve even greater results than before."